The Bulls should man up and offer us Deng, Tyrus and filler. They're not going to win with their club anyway, and have some extensions coming up that will solidify that squad for years as an "almost" club.

If Kobe really, really wants to be traded, I only see the Bulls being able to make us a good enough offer (maybe the Knicks).

Of course, I still don't believe we'll trade Kobe, and that we'll be a lot better this season than most suspect.

Critical Beatdown wrote:The Bulls should man up and offer us Deng, Tyrus and filler. They're not going to win with their club anyway, and have some extensions coming up that will solidify that squad for years as an "almost" club.

If Kobe really, really wants to be traded, I only see the Bulls being able to make us a good enough offer (maybe the Knicks).

Of course, I still don't believe we'll trade Kobe, and that we'll be a lot better this season than most suspect.

It is entirely possible that Doc Buss is ready to show Kobe the door and just needs him to forgo his trade veto power. That would explain the comments in the paper.

If Kobe opens his list up why not give Charlotte a call and see if they would swing Okafor/Wallace/Filler for Bryant? (It would need to wait for December 15th but Wallace isn't BYC b/c Charlotte is under the cap).

Word is ticket sales have been low in Charlotte and they just spent bank on Carroll, Wallace and Richardson. Okafor is up for an extension and Felton is right behind him next year. Charlotte would A) See an imediate spike ticket sales and B) Pair Mike Jordan with his heir apparent. If you think they wouldn't be interested just ask youself, would Jordan have traded for himself at all costs? Just a thought.

Wallace and Okafor are both great shot blockers and Okafor is an elite rebounder. A front line of Wallace/Okafor/Bynum would be a good starting point defensively. Add Critt and Turiaf and you have a solid young nucleus.

That leave the Lakers with Odom, Farmar, Kwame (expiring) as additional trade assets.

purplengoldjonez wrote:something here has to give. I am reallyl just flat out tired of all the drama.. I would like Kobe to stay in LA but only if they provide an opprotunity to win now IE.. a trade.. If the lakers are not willing to do that then as much as it hurts to say you trade him and get it done before the start of the season.

either way the drama has to stop. we have a young team and this is the last kind of publicity you want surrounding a young team.Constant negative energy is not the enviroment we need.

I am a huge fan of Kobe, but for 25+ years I have bled laker purple and gold. The name on the front of the jersey is why I am here. I just want all this garbage to stop so we can get on with why were all here.. simple..the love for the Lakers... Please stop the madness get this put to bed one way or the other.. PLEASE!

as saddening as it is, i'm inclined to agree with this sentiment. and i actually think that's what kobe was trying to say (according to ric bucher)--if you're going to trade me, do it now, don't let this nonsense slip into the season and ruin things for the lakers or whichever franchise you decide to send me to.

on another note, it's good to see someone gave this thread a reasonable name, as opposed to LG, where the thread title is "kobe wants out ASAP". aside from completely misconstruing the report, it has ignited debate ad nauseum over absolutely nothing from a bunch of people who have no idea what bucher even said because they didn't watch those 3 minutes of sportscenter. kudos to the OP for at least naming it something truthful.

Laker's Fan wrote:It is entirely possible that Doc Buss is ready to show Kobe the door and just needs him to forgo his trade veto power. That would explain the comments in the paper.

If Kobe opens his list up why not give Charlotte a call and see if they would swing Okafor/Wallace/Filler for Bryant? (It would need to wait for December 15th but Wallace isn't BYC b/c Charlotte is under the cap).

Word is ticket sales have been low in Charlotte and they just spent bank on Carroll, Wallace and Richardson. Okafor is up for an extension and Felton is right behind him next year. Charlotte would A) See an imediate spike ticket sales and B) Pair Mike Jordan with his heir apparent. If you think they wouldn't be interested just ask youself, would Jordan have traded for himself at all costs? Just a thought.

Wallace and Okafor are both great shot blockers and Okafor is an elite rebounder. A front line of Wallace/Okafor/Bynum would be a good starting point defensively. Add Critt and Turiaf and you have a solid young nucleus.

That leave the Lakers with Odom, Farmar, Kwame (expiring) as additional trade assets.

The Bobcats trade idea is interesting but I think they/Kobe would rather include JRich than Wallace. If that is the case a line up of Fish, JRich, Odom, Okafor, Bynum/Kwame/Mihm is cool with me as long as we get a couple 1st round picks. The scenario I would be more interested in looking at is with ATL. Joe Johnson and Al Horford is a great starting point along with some picks.

Overall I would doubt that Kobe gets traded because of the money he makes for Buss but its interesting to think about anyways.

If we aren't willing to give up Bynum for J Kidd or Jermaine, Artest, etc.

Why the heck is the FO willing to give up Kobe for a Deng or a Josh Howard + fillers.

Jerry Buss's comments just basically proved that they are rebuilding around Bynum, and Kobe is a pawn for financial reasons. This gives Kobe's side of the story a lot more credibility based on the fact that Kobe is tradable for some up and coming stars, yet Bynum isn't tradable for some future hall of famers.

“you don’t even know me and you mad. How it feel to be a hater, now I know exactly how it feels to be a Laker." - JAY Z

Please stop talking to Dallas. No combination of any players (that they're willing to deal) would make me say yes to a Kobe deal. If we're backed into a situation of Kobe leaving and not compensating anything for his loss, I'm going to think twice. Paxson's offer is not bad, but I personally would like Deng to be the centerpeice of any deal - which is only fair. Luol, Tyrus & salary fillers for Kobe. From Chicago's point of view, this makes them title favorites, while adding the NBA's best player. Hinrich, Kobe, Nocioni, Smith, Wallace is nothing to joke about. Smith isn't a long term commitment so getting Kobe allows the flexibilty of dealing Gordon for, preferrably, a big man who can operate down low.

If you look at from this side, we're stacked with young talent. Javaris, Farmar, Deng, Turiaf, Thomas, Bynum. No Kobe equals more productivity and agressiveness on offense from Odom. He would thrive playing with these group of guys. Personally, I'd hate to see Kobe go, but I wouldn't mind seeing Crittenton, Deng, Walton, Odom & Bynum take the floor each game.

... It's either that or take the risk . The risk of dealing Bynum & Lamar for O'Neal in order to keep Bryant happy and show him you're commited to winning RIGHT NOW. Get through to them: win now or win later. Either way, we'll soon find out the fate of the Lakers.

Last edited by Massacre on Fri Oct 12, 2007 5:12 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Well he said in his post Deng, Tyrus and filler. You could go the other way and go for quantity over quality in Gordon, Nocioni and Tyrus, those are 3 good players but none are really stars. Deng on the other hand looks to be on his way to being a legit star in this league, he was great in last year's playoffs and he's really the only Kobe type guy Chicago has in that you can turn to him to score when you need a bucket at any time. Gordon is that way to a point, but he's also streaky, when he's off he's off.

Venti Quattro wrote:According to Ric Bucher on ESPN Sportscenter, he said Kobe was ready to begin the season with the mindset that the Los Angeles Lakers were not going to grant his wish and trade him, but now that they have mentioned the possibility, he wants it to happen as soon as possible. Here are the deals he mentioned that were discussed.

Dallas - Jason Terry and Josh Howard

Chicago - Ben Gordon, Andres Nocioni, and Tyrus Thomas

He mentioned that the Dallas offer was an actual offer and that Jerry Buss took a few days to think about it and then rejected it.

He also mentioned that the Chicago scenario is more of a discussion since the Lakers front office wants all negotiations to start with Luol Deng.

If true, it's interesting to see how the MARKET, and not the fans values Kobe.

1. This team sucks. Just watching the first two preseason games made me vomit. This team can't defend, they can't run the trinagle like it should be run, and they turn the ball over like they're trying to.

2. Kobe is on his way out. My prediciton: he'll play out the year and some team will rip us off, badly.

1. We can't win with the team as constituted. We need to get another all-star player to pair with Kobe. That's the only way Kobe stays. Fact of the matter is, due to some piss poor drafts and FA signings, we just don't have the horses to get that all-star next to Kobe. Getting rid of LO and Bynum for JO is a lateral move in my book and makes no sense. It's about winning chips, any and all moves MUST have that as a goal.

2. At some point, i reckon probably a year after Buss drafted Bynum, whether true or delusional (time will tell)....the management believes that Bynum is the future. It's easier to get good pieces by trading Kobe than any of our other scrubs. Kobe is simply our best trading asset. Sure Buss and Co. was praying Kobe sticks around while Bynum develops so they can keep selling out Staples.

3. All roads point to a trade of Kobe. It gives the FO the opportunity to back their horse, Bynum. Frankly its easier to surround Bynum with talent than it is to surround Kobe with talent. Why? Our only asset is Bynum and Kobe. The FO has repeatedly have not been willing to move Bynum. So it is Kobe.

4. As a Laker fan, I pray that the FO is right about Bynum. If not, the horrible memories of NVE, Jones and Elden Campbell years are gonna be the norm for us Laker fans for a long, long time.

Venti Quattro wrote:According to Ric Bucher on ESPN Sportscenter, he said Kobe was ready to begin the season with the mindset that the Los Angeles Lakers were not going to grant his wish and trade him, but now that they have mentioned the possibility, he wants it to happen as soon as possible.

I really think there is some truth to this.

Why? To me, it really seems as though Kobe has no interest in these first two preseason games. I know it's just the preseason. I know he shouldn't care anyway, but i see something more. I've NEVER seen kobe play like this. He looks like he doesn even care at all. He's just goofing around. Kobe has a competitive fire in pretty much all situations. These two games look like apathy to me.

Right... 17 in the first qrt... in the first game...

Then 8 assists in the other.

You do know kobe has a different role this year right... to be a facilitator.

Kobe only took one shot in the first quarter of the first game. he scored 17 in the 3rd quarter.

Kobe's averaging 5.5 turnovers in just over 20 mpg. That's incredible. Those TO's aren't bad team chemistry or rookie mistakes dropping passes. Kobe is just messing around in my eyes. He has no desire on defense and he's just being silly on offense. Of course he can sill put up some good stats when not trying cause he's that good, but im not talking about stats. I am a huge kobe fan. I take his side all the time. I DO NOT want him traded however. It saddens me a lot to see what i think im seeing. II think he wants to be traded very soon and knows he probably will be. I hope im wrong.

I disagree. I think Kobe is just feeling out his new role in the team. He's looking to pass early and then he's going to try and take over later in the game. He's only not shooting early cause it's preseason. I am positive that when the season starts he'll really start running the offense.

puffyusaf#2 wrote:Its funny that Ric has resurfaced now that Buss made his comment. Good ole Ric trying to save face still.

It is pretty obvious why Ric Bucher is resurfaced. When Kobe was talking, Ric was talking...when Kobe stopped, Ric stopped. Now that Buss has spoken about what was supposed to be a private conversation, Kobe will not talk since a promise was made to keep all discussions internal, but Ric will talk for him. When Bucher mentions "Kobe's camp" he means Kobe himself